The REASON Google Translate FAILS at Japanese

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  • Опубліковано 2 лют 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 6 тис.

  • @AbroadinJapan
    @AbroadinJapan  4 роки тому +3507

    NOTIFICATION SQUAD: Who's up for a bowl of puppy ramen? I've been wanting to do a video on Google translate for a while and I finally feel vindicated! If you have any translation tools you recommend, fire away with your suggestions!

  • @dabossdud
    @dabossdud 4 роки тому +5459

    "i think i'll close my imaginary resturant"
    *flips sign so the open side is facing out*

  • @MegaPompoen
    @MegaPompoen 4 роки тому +3599

    "don't use he/she, use their names"
    Me who is terrible at remembering names:
    Sweating profusely

    • @Jordan-inJapan
      @Jordan-inJapan 4 роки тому +275

      Exactly! This has been the bane of my existence for the 20 years I’ve lived in Japan. Luckily for me I work in schools here...so everyone is just, “SENSEI”.

    • @AeneasMTG
      @AeneasMTG 4 роки тому +79

      Yes yes yes! At my school it was so hard to remember 500 names to use instead of pronouns ahhhhh impossible. :'(

    • @Jordan-inJapan
      @Jordan-inJapan 4 роки тому +44

      Aeneas Yeah, I tried to remember students’ names for the first couple of years...and then realized the futility of that and just basically gave up. Where were you teaching, btw?

    • @luisen1996
      @luisen1996 4 роки тому +71

      With all the Kanji and having to remember people's names, Japanese has proven to be an excelent exercise for memory.

    • @elijahdage5523
      @elijahdage5523 4 роки тому +14

      You've just got to use their name until you remember it.

  • @Duskbear
    @Duskbear 4 роки тому +1856

    Chris, you may not observe Pig Bone Day but that's no reason to demean those of us who do

  • @alloymetal7861
    @alloymetal7861 4 роки тому +648

    After I saw Google translate 「アメリカの御飯」 ("american food", literally "america's rice") as "united states of rice", I'm not surprised by anything.

    • @伏見猿比古-k8c
      @伏見猿比古-k8c 3 роки тому +24

      Probably because the kanji for food used in the sentence above "飯" is also the kanji used for rice "ご飯".

    • @alloymetal7861
      @alloymetal7861 3 роки тому +56

      @@伏見猿比古-k8c Well, yes, but if anything, it should be "rice of United States" (or even of America), not "United States of rice"... That's a country, like the United Kingdom of Fish and Chips.

    • @伏見猿比古-k8c
      @伏見猿比古-k8c 3 роки тому +6

      @@alloymetal7861 either way it would sound strange and I don't get why they change America to the united states when it wasn't necessary. maybe Google is just trolling?😆

    • @notatallheng
      @notatallheng 3 роки тому +17

      Could be worse... Imagine what it would do with 米国のご飯.

    • @frootsnackism
      @frootsnackism 3 роки тому +3

      This almost made me spit out my water LOL

  • @aaaron7481
    @aaaron7481 4 роки тому +2660

    I'll never forget my classmate using google translate to cheat on his Japanese test. Let's just say he failed hard

    • @AbroadinJapan
      @AbroadinJapan  4 роки тому +1592

      My Japanese students used to use it to cheat on their English homework.
      The results were horrendous.

    • @iliamironov9700
      @iliamironov9700 4 роки тому +390

      @@AbroadinJapan Any chance on making a video reacting to those results?

    • @3katfox
      @3katfox 4 роки тому +218

      @@AbroadinJapan PLEASE make a video about that! 😂

    • @favforsue
      @favforsue 4 роки тому +167

      Abroad in Japan I teach ESL to Spanish speaking students. Since I run essays and projects through a program to detect plagiarism, one of my students got creative and plagiarized a Spanish document by running it through Google translate. First of all, I know my students and it just sounded “too good.” Second, even though Google translate is great for Spanish/English, it is not perfect. The mistakes made me suspicious that it was a literal translation. So I reversed the translation back to Spanish thanks to Google and a brief search brought up the original article. I was so upset, not only because of the attempt to plagiarize, but because it was one more thing I had to worry about when grading papers.

    • @princessthyemis
      @princessthyemis 4 роки тому +20

      @@favforsue geez that sounds awful!!!

  • @hatenayousei
    @hatenayousei 4 роки тому +1730

    "I didn't know what I was saying but I was angry" honestly a mood

    • @adylaar6708
      @adylaar6708 4 роки тому +52

      Legit thought he/they yelled back to the elderly.

    • @rodrigo4379
      @rodrigo4379 4 роки тому +7

      hahahahha

    • @ThatJapanGuy
      @ThatJapanGuy 4 роки тому +9

      Big mood 😂😂

    • @ImmortalXUchiha
      @ImmortalXUchiha 4 роки тому +12

      Well angry is a mood, so it's literally a mood lol

    • @jk9554
      @jk9554 4 роки тому +17

      tbh, that could easily be an untranslated 1-star review by a native english speaker.

  • @28add11
    @28add11 4 роки тому +834

    Lol I google translated some Japanese restuarant menus. I found out that the restaurant served mountain

    • @haventshoweredinamonth7364
      @haventshoweredinamonth7364 4 роки тому +12

      lmaooo

    • @snifey7694
      @snifey7694 4 роки тому

      lmaoo

    • @pauloazuela8488
      @pauloazuela8488 4 роки тому +6

      Wow, you might owned mount Everest if you go there XD

    • @Angel_EU34
      @Angel_EU34 4 роки тому +21

      For when you are REALLY hungry...
      ... MOUNTAIN DISH! Has a lot of minerals too! xDDD

    • @28add11
      @28add11 4 роки тому +13

      @@Angel_EU34 And for only $5.99

  • @AlizeeYeezy
    @AlizeeYeezy 4 роки тому +1811

    great video chris, very unpleasant.

  • @MochinYoja
    @MochinYoja 4 роки тому +1706

    I worked at a school in Korea and one day a new teacher from the US came and wanted to Bing translate the school's website from Korean into English. The motto for the school in Korean was 'Let's stand atop the mountain' but because the pronunciation and spelling of 'let's stand' is the same as the word for 'b*stard' in Korean, and 'atop the mountain' is pronounced and spelled in the same way as the word 'normal', the school's motto was translated by Bing as 'Normal B*stard'. Great school motto there *applauds*

    • @joshuasterling2144
      @joshuasterling2144 4 роки тому +55

      Lolz, well at least there wasn't any negativity involved....

    • @lzh4950
      @lzh4950 4 роки тому +77

      Reminds me of 'fairy' in Japanese (妖精) literally meaning "demon spirit" in Chinese (妖精). Think examples of these feed into opinions/arguments etc that I've heard of others calling Japanese a 'b*****disation' of Chinese

    • @は私です彼の名前
      @は私です彼の名前 4 роки тому +92

      @@lzh4950 Don’t you mean a Let’sStanddisation if Chinese?

    • @mshaman86
      @mshaman86 4 роки тому +31

      Im proud to be a normal bastard.

    • @stefthorman8548
      @stefthorman8548 4 роки тому +12

      At least bing was honest...

  • @Hugo-gn1ff
    @Hugo-gn1ff 4 роки тому +1990

    A personal favourite when trying to translate a menu item at a café was, “attentiveness of eggs” which meant... omelette. 🤷🏼‍♂️

    • @gopalabbineni3941
      @gopalabbineni3941 4 роки тому +34

      I gonna laugh to death on this one 😂🤣🤣

    • @moonmannd7501
      @moonmannd7501 4 роки тому +82

      _DECEARING EGG_

    • @robertgarza9414
      @robertgarza9414 4 роки тому +28

      It's not just Japanese, basically most languages have the same issue with Google translate. I use it a lot to translate Arabic and it's miserable; especially, when it comes to sentences.

    • @cernanwinterfox85
      @cernanwinterfox85 4 роки тому +5

      its because google is bad at english too.

    • @lzh4950
      @lzh4950 4 роки тому +5

      Fun fact: Japanese egg cakes ( _tamago_ 玉子) literally means 'corn' in Chinese ('玉'; '子' in Chinese is meaningless when used immediately after '玉', but on it's own can mean 'son')

  • @vklj296
    @vklj296 4 роки тому +880

    As a trilingual person, the drawer theory is very accurate. Risotaro is a genius.

    • @AbroadinJapan
      @AbroadinJapan  4 роки тому +536

      I've known Ryotaro 5 years and there's barely been a day he hasn't whipped out his beloved drawer metaphor mid conversation.

    • @pauloazuela8488
      @pauloazuela8488 4 роки тому +70

      @@AbroadinJapan So you're right on point with his obsession with drawers

    • @groundhawg4657
      @groundhawg4657 4 роки тому +20

      @@AbroadinJapan It seems like trilingual people talk about how theyre trilingual more than the other languages they speak cause I have a friend who does the same thing

    • @danielwordsworth1843
      @danielwordsworth1843 4 роки тому +22

      @@AbroadinJapan 5 years of this wisdom and you told us just now?

    • @vklj296
      @vklj296 4 роки тому +32

      GroundHawg465 I think mentioning that I’m trilingual to people in English is more effective than writing a comment in a language the majority of the channel’s viewers don’t understand. But yeah, we do mention it when it’s relevant.

  • @voidsabre_
    @voidsabre_ 4 роки тому +383

    I'm gonna start saying "Full Stomach: achieved" after every meal

    • @SeaSerpentLevi
      @SeaSerpentLevi 3 роки тому +3

      hahahah definately
      Ill say it with an excited voice like an anime character too cant wait to see people's reactions

    • @SeaSerpentLevi
      @SeaSerpentLevi 3 роки тому +3

      Now that i think about it is kinda cute tough lol

    • @odinlordofasgard9748
      @odinlordofasgard9748 2 роки тому +2

      Hey if Full Stomach is not an achivement then i don't know what it would be.

    • @scintillam_dei
      @scintillam_dei 2 роки тому +1

      Digestor at Maximum Capacity.

  • @harrystravelvideos
    @harrystravelvideos 4 роки тому +1150

    Natsuki: 'I'm dental broken' .... this now makes perfect sense...

    • @RonPaul42069
      @RonPaul42069 4 роки тому +43

      Breaking teeth on gummy candy will never make perfect sense.

    • @talalabalkhail
      @talalabalkhail 4 роки тому +3

      Yes

    • @jansettler4828
      @jansettler4828 4 роки тому +1

      Thhhpinal

    • @molpy6671
      @molpy6671 4 роки тому +2

      I first thought it is a re zero reference

    • @scrapper1176
      @scrapper1176 4 роки тому +1

      Legitimate question ive learning hiragana and katakana but to understand the kanji how since there are so many symbols that stand for objects it would take forever to learn. Ive seen then use in phrases or sentence in conjunction two and I slow am able to translate it(still new I translate writeing thing down in my japanese notebook) but the kanji I can't figure out any tips or tricks going forward
      I would be in Japan learning but the gap year where I would learn the lauguage and the culture got stopped by corona sooo..... That isn't happening

  • @spicyplumber9544
    @spicyplumber9544 4 роки тому +992

    As someone who’s trying to learn Japanese, I’d love more of this type of content!

    • @crimsoncrimsoned609
      @crimsoncrimsoned609 4 роки тому +6

      そうですか?この和文を分かれて書けますか?
      笑み

    • @memez44
      @memez44 4 роки тому +3

      Same

    • @adriananthonydeguia736
      @adriananthonydeguia736 4 роки тому +3

      Ey saaaame

    • @simonbelmont1
      @simonbelmont1 4 роки тому +18

      I took sticky notes, placed them around the house on items like the bookshelf (hondana), lamp (ranpu), etc. w their phonetic spelling and Kanji. If I'm ever lost in Japan I can now ask for water(Mizu). 😁

    • @sinsrow8975
      @sinsrow8975 4 роки тому

      Yes please!

  • @jamodonnahan610
    @jamodonnahan610 4 роки тому +594

    "Yeah, I think I'll close my imaginary restaurant!"
    Stock footage person: *turns sign so it tells customers the place is open

    • @slughead
      @slughead 4 роки тому +31

      That bothered me too

    • @flare6030
      @flare6030 4 роки тому +3

      Literally just about to comment this lol.

    • @evanever
      @evanever 4 роки тому +3

      I think the door slamming shut was supposed to indicate that they were walking into the store afterwards. But I dunno why the sign would be on the outside...

    • @slughead
      @slughead 4 роки тому +2

      @@evanever I think the footage was of a shopkeeper coming inside and opening his shop for the day

    • @albinoasesino
      @albinoasesino 4 роки тому +8

      How else do you expect a charming British guy to receive hate mail. He leaves his closed imaginary restaurant open for criticism.

  • @dzello
    @dzello 3 роки тому +594

    By the way, for those wondering why ''oppeshan'' gets translated to ''puppy''... Oppeshan means a flat face with a small nose. It doesn't specifically mean puppy, but it's often used to describe, you guessed, it, puppies with that feature.

    • @MIZZKIE
      @MIZZKIE 3 роки тому +57

      When you described it, the first thing that came to my mind was a Pug. Maybe Google likes dogs so it chose puppy.

    • @SnabbKassa
      @SnabbKassa Рік тому

      Because who can tolerate ramen without small noses in it?

    • @ishnenigans
      @ishnenigans Рік тому

      does anyone want Flat face with a small nose ramen?

    • @mumujibirb
      @mumujibirb Рік тому +6

      Natural. Google Translate works on analysing languages like ciphers, and has no understanding. Thus, it can only look at large datasets and get out an answer. If a word is used in a common meaning, and the second meaning is very rarely used. it is very normal for this to happen

  • @bludeadstuff683
    @bludeadstuff683 4 роки тому +511

    I'm going to start using the phrase "Full belly, received"

    • @barshank15
      @barshank15 4 роки тому +26

      Aah... amateur.

    • @ジョージです-n1h
      @ジョージです-n1h 4 роки тому +2

      That's kinda creepy saying that sentence is acting like machine not like human being

    • @Abi-zj5mz
      @Abi-zj5mz 4 роки тому +4

      Prypiat 0 Not creepy. It’s super Krispy and Cool.

    • @theotherflash2625
      @theotherflash2625 4 роки тому +4

      Sounds like a finishing move once you're done eating.

    • @ericjamieson
      @ericjamieson 4 роки тому +1

      Seems like a pretty sticky thing to do.

  • @RogerOcelot
    @RogerOcelot 4 роки тому +494

    Wow, japanese people are harsh.
    "I had a good meal." - 3/5 Stars
    "On 10th of every month there is a promotion and you can eat for 500 yen." - 3/5 Stars
    "I filled my stomach but could not smoke" 1/5 Stars
    "Went to the market and some crazy obaasan yelled at me on the driveway." 1/5 Stars

    • @aartadventure
      @aartadventure 4 роки тому +143

      It's more that the type of people who bother to leave to reviews are almost universally hyper critical and Karens in training.

    • @VoxelLoop
      @VoxelLoop 4 роки тому +87

      @@aartadventure Exactly this.
      I'm sure it's mostly universal, few people leave a positive review unless their experience was really exceptional, but, people will leave a negative review if even the smallest thing was wrong.
      This can really make a mess of review systems, rather recently the Steam Store tried to combat this by displaying a 'Would you recommend this game? [Yes] [No]' box whenever you go to start the game, forcing more users to leave a simple review and correct the skewed reviews for sometimes very good products. :)

    • @mikeshoults4155
      @mikeshoults4155 4 роки тому +59

      It's true. I work in Japan and get this shit all the time. I had to profusely apologize for another companies "mistake." In the end our reputation was damaged because earlier that week in a different city, a different company pissed the customer off. Somehow that was our fault and we get a bad review and our reputation is permanently damaged.

    • @wwoods66
      @wwoods66 4 роки тому +12

      "some crazy obaasan yelled at me"
      Well, sure. She was offended because you didn't call her "obasan".
      tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ObaSan

    • @kKizz
      @kKizz 4 роки тому +4

      @@mikeshoults4155 oh wow that sucks....

  • @BooLee01
    @BooLee01 4 роки тому +184

    I emailed a Japanese friend of mine once that I (and my family) were going to visit Japan. He replied by typing in Japanese, translated via (possibly) Google, and then sending me the translation. One sentence read, "I look forward to tossing my family at yours."
    I never saw the original text, so I have no idea how we got to tossing families at each other.

    • @Niniel28b
      @Niniel28b 2 роки тому +8

      I may have spat a bit at my screen laughing at this.

    • @adam_kano
      @adam_kano 2 роки тому +9

      please tell me you eventually asked them

    • @safinehakamaki3537
      @safinehakamaki3537 2 роки тому

      @@adam_kano and we never heard of him again.. hope the family tossing ended well.

  • @seiyuokamihimura5082
    @seiyuokamihimura5082 4 роки тому +88

    Ryottoro has very good analogies. Very cool how he can effectively get his point across in an effective manner.

  • @Soloman_Gumball
    @Soloman_Gumball 4 роки тому +1317

    Nobody talking about how ridiculous the ratings and real reasons are. Tough crowd to please.

    • @mcgoo721
      @mcgoo721 4 роки тому +154

      Honestly in the restaurant business we take most online reviews as absolute jokes. Unfortunately some people still hold overall ratings in high regards though.

    • @Madhattersinjeans
      @Madhattersinjeans 4 роки тому +195

      Right?
      Someone had a good meal. 3 stars...what?
      Were they expecting a stage performance and a wire act to push that up to 4-5 stars or something?
      You're buying a meal not doing a film review.

    • @mcgoo721
      @mcgoo721 4 роки тому +127

      Mad Hatters in jeans My personal favorite review I ever got was a one star review that said “best Mac n cheese I ever had.” So I joked that while it was the best they ever had, they happen to really hate Mac n cheese lol

    • @emirs769
      @emirs769 4 роки тому +94

      ​@@Madhattersinjeans I think it's better off this way. While we are willing to give 5 stars if nothing "bad" happens, they give 3 stars on average. And if their experience is beyond their expectations, they give more. I mean giving 5 stars should be a big deal, right? It's the maximum appreciation you can give to a restaurant. So it's acceptable for someone that just had a good meal to give 3 stars if that's what they expected, nothing more, nothing less. Also you should take into account that there are plenty of additional factors other than the quality of food affecting their opinions.

    • @JezzmanGAMES
      @JezzmanGAMES 4 роки тому +15

      If you leave a 5 star review, they'll probably print it out & hang it on the wall.

  • @ExisCernos
    @ExisCernos 4 роки тому +450

    No one is mentioning the "Help me" "I'm stuck in a drawer"??? That was such a genius edit and it's good to see Chris has moved from his basement at least.

    • @sungibatman1996
      @sungibatman1996 4 роки тому

      I mean.... Japanese sounds easier than the absolute garbage on fire which is the English language. I am from asia so Japanese has lots of similarities in word placement compared to my first language. But english, ohh man.

    • @sungibatman1996
      @sungibatman1996 4 роки тому

      To add to my reply, english moves around the words so much. I know everyone that only knows english thinks that word placement in a sentence is normal but why have “I went to the toilet because I needed to pee” instead of “needed pee so went toilet”?

    • @skwisgaarskwigelf1365
      @skwisgaarskwigelf1365 4 роки тому

      @@sungibatman1996 Different languages have different word order, wtf is even that complaint lol.
      But wonder how'd you like learning russian, which doesn't have any word order and you're allowed to do whatever you want.
      Also, it's "dumpster fire" :)

    • @frostyblade8842
      @frostyblade8842 4 роки тому

      @@sungibatman1996 yeah if you already know an Asian language Japanese will obviously be easier since its significantly more similar to your own language than English, which isn't an asian language

    • @AnnualLotus
      @AnnualLotus 4 роки тому

      13:47

  • @leemyers1878
    @leemyers1878 4 роки тому +235

    I would so take an online Japanese class with Ryotaro as the teacher.

  • @TheMatizyahu
    @TheMatizyahu 2 роки тому +110

    Actually Ryotaro's metaphor about drawers with languages is very accurate. I'm native Polish and every time i speak English i'm starting to think in English. Literally if i'm starting to have opinion, try to figure out what to say next i do it in English. I completely shut down my Polish thinking like a drawer - i'm no longer have contact with it. With Japanese is a different story because it is whole thought process and seriously you have to redo all the wires inside your brain. It's not just using other vocabulary and gramar.

    • @lassikinnunen
      @lassikinnunen Рік тому +5

      Some people who speak only broken english can only understand like english talked like their native language.
      "Our car" can be "we car" etc..
      But yeah if you speak a language well your brain kinda switches.

    • @lucidnonsense942
      @lucidnonsense942 Рік тому +3

      As a native Polish & English speaker and intermediate Japanese learner - it's so much easier learning Japanese via Polish. Polish is really flexible with SVO/SOV you can even do VSO with correct word aspects etc. It might sound bit odd, but you can make it grammatically correct. Plus, Polish let's you imply the subject by modifying words, which something Japanese does a lot, it's not that there's no subject in Japanese. A lot of languages do that actually, English is probably unusual in being rather strict. I just learned to try to force the English parts of my brain off and things go so much more smoothly. I think English's grammatical simplicity makes it a lot easier to pick up - at the cost of making it rather inflexible.

  • @abernabe7049
    @abernabe7049 4 роки тому +210

    I love how Ryotaro can make a smile and a wave seem so sinister. He rocks.

    • @gloval2009
      @gloval2009 4 роки тому +2

      Remember, when he is being evil he is using his alter ego, Risotaro.

    • @kittyman7015
      @kittyman7015 4 роки тому

      Observe. He didn't blink even once during the time he was smiling. Clearly a serial killer. Jk.

    • @schmitzi99
      @schmitzi99 4 роки тому +1

      Oh god these drawers. Help mee

  • @BrainSlamAnimatedScience
    @BrainSlamAnimatedScience 4 роки тому +460

    The last time I was this fast Dave wasn't even in Japan!

    • @snifey7694
      @snifey7694 4 роки тому +10

      Abroad in England you say

    • @killerkd123
      @killerkd123 4 роки тому +3

      Last time i was this quick was with my girlfriend... Probably why she left me

    • @monsieurduquack5440
      @monsieurduquack5440 4 роки тому

      I was expecting Chad from Seattle, but I guess Dave would do

    • @vivien767
      @vivien767 4 роки тому

      @@truepotential206 i8í

    • @glegos2281
      @glegos2281 4 роки тому +1

      Holy cow dude Dave in Japan just liked your comment!

  • @TheXiahouDun
    @TheXiahouDun 4 роки тому +365

    The clerk is sticky was actually quite close to being a decent translation. "The staff was stuck up" would adequately carry over the intent of the original japanese's disdain for the staff trying to look cool.

  • @Mrkenjoe1
    @Mrkenjoe1 3 роки тому +23

    The drawer metaphor is probably the most useful thing I've had for learning any language. I was mentally picturing adding them all in one which has been leading to a lot of issues.

  • @jediron169
    @jediron169 4 роки тому +324

    "For better or worse here's Ryotaro" - well that's one way to introduce someone.

    • @ApothecaryTerry
      @ApothecaryTerry 4 роки тому +11

      *Risottaro

    • @lynda.grace.14
      @lynda.grace.14 4 роки тому +6

      So much for "favour going forward." 🤣

    • @groofay
      @groofay 4 роки тому +1

      He should host an American talk show, he's a natural.

  • @BeerdyBruceLeeCentral
    @BeerdyBruceLeeCentral 4 роки тому +171

    To be fair, I've been to restaurants that served salads with scraps of sack before. Very unpleasant.

  • @ilfriner1287
    @ilfriner1287 4 роки тому +483

    Owner: soo the meal was good?
    Japanese customer: yes
    Owner: the staff was the best you’ve seen
    Customer: yes
    Owner: you’re full?
    Customer: yes
    Owner: soo it’s fair that u rate is 5 stars
    Customer: 1 star take it or leave it

    • @assassinaria
      @assassinaria 4 роки тому +35

      Can't stand it when people give 5 stars to restaurants that provided decent service lol.
      To me, 3/5 = decent, 4/5 = amazing, 5/5 = unmatched

    • @cin3859
      @cin3859 4 роки тому +118

      Weird, I default to five stars and take away points as needed.
      5/5 Great! No complaints.
      4/5 Pretty good. I’ll come back.
      3/5 Fine. I was fed.
      2/5 Unpleasant. Bad times.
      1/5 Fucking garbage.
      0/5 Call the authorities immediately.

    • @miegravgaardxoxo
      @miegravgaardxoxo 4 роки тому +9

      Nancy Sheep Love that last one 🤣

    • @BroomstickIsLove
      @BroomstickIsLove 4 роки тому +15

      @@cin3859 I have the same mentality, but it's just a matter of perspective, expectations, optimism/ pessimism.
      Some people go in delighted already and something bad has to happen to make their experience worse.
      Others go in to be made happy and with high expectations and a miracle has to happen, to lighten up their perception.
      I don't wanna talk down the latter option (I even have a very close friend who's pretty much like this), but I think the optimistic way is definetly more fun :D
      Have a nice day everyone :)

    • @peelsbanana1626
      @peelsbanana1626 4 роки тому

      @@assassinaria i just give 1 regardless of how good it was

  • @S春香
    @S春香 3 роки тому +27

    Very interesting to hear the veteran Japanese learner's view on difference of two languages. I knew Google translate is not right always, but I never thought of what is their weakness like you did. Also, as I learned English in my junior high year「よろしくお願いします」was translated to "Nice to meat you." which later I noticed it is not concerning the meaning of the sentence at all. Good point.

  • @joshhodkinson9677
    @joshhodkinson9677 4 роки тому +435

    Legend has it that Ryotaro is still waving to the camera.

    • @mayaparamita2254
      @mayaparamita2254 4 роки тому +14

      Or opening drawers 😄

    • @angelus_solus
      @angelus_solus 4 роки тому

      It's an old joke that has been recycled to death....just fucking let it die already. You're not being cleaver by using it, social lemming.

  • @R-Otaku747
    @R-Otaku747 4 роки тому +394

    Chris: "Who'd want to go to a restaurant with a sticky hostess?"
    Spiderman: "....no.. pizza time..?"

    • @sandk7969
      @sandk7969 4 роки тому +1

      Call Reed, he might accompany Parker.

  • @Globox2004
    @Globox2004 4 роки тому +242

    So, noone mention how unreasonable those reviews are? Like blaming a restaurant for some weird lady at the parking lot xD

    • @ontheroadtechno
      @ontheroadtechno 4 роки тому +22

      You have to consider though the fact that the most common reviewing platform for restaurants, in Japan, is Tabelog: there, the highest scores are reserved for the finest dining experiences. For a casual lunch, three and a half stars is absolutely not that bad.

    • @V.U.4six
      @V.U.4six 4 роки тому +36

      Ikr like they make no sense still lol
      The ones less than 3 barely described exactly why it was bad they just said it was bad
      Like the “terrible, staff tried to be cool” like what??

    • @hexyko4850
      @hexyko4850 4 роки тому +4

      @@V.U.4six Yeah, I didn't understand that one either. Does it mean that the employees were snobby?

    • @mastermarkus5307
      @mastermarkus5307 4 роки тому +19

      @@ontheroadtechno I still think even if the number of stars makes sense, you should still say something about the restaurant and not a probably unrelated incident.

    • @Rofpo3233
      @Rofpo3233 4 роки тому +21

      @@hexyko4850 Once when I was a teenager I went to Pizza Hut with some friends, and some waiter was trying to act cool by making sex jokes with us like we were friends. I'm very reserved so that was definitely an unpleasant experience. Maybe it was something similar?

  • @SonnyO
    @SonnyO 4 роки тому +25

    The drawer comparison for using languages is brilliant. People who try to learn a new language think it’s a filter, sifting key words, where you just have to turn off the languages you’re not using and think in another.

  • @gianmarcoprezioso
    @gianmarcoprezioso 4 роки тому +441

    The dislikes are from the Google employes who created the puppy ramen conspiracy

    • @dudearnav
      @dudearnav 4 роки тому +5

      How badly did they want to create puppy ramen? Guess we will never know

    • @hobbybugs1286
      @hobbybugs1286 4 роки тому

      Ikr they are disliking their translation

    • @hobbybugs1286
      @hobbybugs1286 4 роки тому

      Extra Japanese lessons yes

    • @grubbybum3614
      @grubbybum3614 4 роки тому +4

      No. The dislikes are from SJW's, as Chris just advised people to avoid using pronouns.

    • @josiahfam
      @josiahfam 4 роки тому

      😂

  • @N.Traveler
    @N.Traveler 4 роки тому +303

    What I learned: Japanese Google translations are just Japanese merch T-shirts in the making.

  • @kazune2469
    @kazune2469 4 роки тому +311

    “Are you aware of your own defect?”

    • @sbesbees
      @sbesbees 4 роки тому +7

      Said the actress to the bishop

    • @aliasmarg8ta127
      @aliasmarg8ta127 4 роки тому +8

      I want that on my TShirt

  • @xDERable
    @xDERable 3 роки тому +174

    as a bilingual person myself, that ryotaro drawer example is pretty accurate lol.
    I used to learn spanish for a little bit, havent studied it in a while. Nowadays I’m learning japanese and I’ve reached a higher level with that. When I try to think of a spanish sentence nowadays, for some odd reason, japanese words and particles come into mind. But the opposite never happens for some reason.
    Just an interesting anecdote.

    • @eri_noemi1462
      @eri_noemi1462 2 роки тому +7

      I though I was the only person this happened to! I try to remember some basic Spanish words I learned back in middle school, but my brain wants to say it in Japanese.

    • @avlinrbdig5715
      @avlinrbdig5715 2 роки тому +3

      i suck at many languages, but i like etymology. i like to try and understand abit of the thoughtprocesses and associations of the foreign mind behind the language. now, that is facinating to me . .. however, i tend to not care that much about grammar and being specific. i talk like caveman. person primitive utterance it is!

    • @Barakeh
      @Barakeh 2 роки тому +1

      @@scintillam_dei it blew my mind when I found out anata means anta in Arabic, my only problem is that masu sounds a lot like the word for sucking in Arabic, but I'm also over that

    • @tohaason
      @tohaason 2 роки тому +2

      The drawer metaphor is excellent. I learned English without using translation at any point, and I effectively have two separate departments - one for English, another for my native language. I'm terrible at translation, if one drawer is open I have no idea what the word in the closed drawer would be. I have to kind of pull back until I only see the full image/context/situation, and then use the other language to describe it. It's very hard to translate on a word-by-word level. I couldn't do it at all, until I had to start helping my wife learning my language, so I'm slightly better at translation now, but only a bit.
      The mixed-up drawers for languages you aren't fully confident in is also spot on. It happens to me with Japanese and another language.. both ways. When I want one, the other pops up at the same time.

    • @oienu
      @oienu Рік тому +3

      Maybe be cause the structure are very similar
      As example "Bebo té" = お茶を飲む on english "I'm drinking tea" we don't need to say "Yo estoy bebiendo té" just the conjugation of "Beber" and what is what I drink, only 2 words are enought.

  • @marty1076
    @marty1076 4 роки тому +35

    Risottoro’s analogy about opening and closing drawers is the most accurate description for being multilingual I have heard.

  • @ceno10101
    @ceno10101 4 роки тому +256

    "Who do you think you're talking to!"
    Google: "I DON"T KNOW!!"

  • @tarcal87
    @tarcal87 4 роки тому +110

    13:34
    _"My grandpa used to frequently exclaim, 'When one door closes, another opens.'_
    _Lovely fella, but he was a terrible cabinet-maker."_

  • @bacteria2672
    @bacteria2672 25 днів тому

    That metaphor with the drawers was actually so enlightening and helpful. I never thought of it that way.

  • @Marco_Onyxheart
    @Marco_Onyxheart 4 роки тому +229

    Ryotaro seems like a fun person to have a beer with or just hang out with.

    • @wingknutt1130
      @wingknutt1130 4 роки тому +9

      Yeah, much better than that other guy that spent so much time jabbering during the video.......LOL. Just kidding.

    • @Alex-fv2qs
      @Alex-fv2qs 4 роки тому +3

      He doesn't drink often, for a good reason

    • @kuyache2
      @kuyache2 4 роки тому +4

      I watched the whole ryotaro playlist and im still eagerly awaiting for more videos. natsuki is a fun guy but his specialty is swear words, weird philosophy and absurd but funny translations. whereas ryotaro goes for adventure, amazing food and making friends/connections.

    • @alexeysaranchev6118
      @alexeysaranchev6118 4 роки тому

      @ErsatzMoose How was that type of personality called? Tsundere?

  • @LemoNanora
    @LemoNanora 4 роки тому +330

    "Chris uploads"
    My comrades is glad

  • @PSK8530
    @PSK8530 4 роки тому +328

    Ryotaro-"Uncomfortably Enthusiastic Assistant" How does Chris even come up with these?

    • @2fat2furiouz
      @2fat2furiouz 4 роки тому +11

      Pranav Kameshwar probably used google translation 😂

    • @mrclueuin
      @mrclueuin 4 роки тому

      @@2fat2furiouz Ha! 😄

    • @yurikuki
      @yurikuki 4 роки тому +3

      perks of being British

    • @alanlee1355
      @alanlee1355 4 роки тому

      Who is also reasonably priced.

  • @TheOpy83
    @TheOpy83 3 роки тому +9

    As a person who works with foreign languages and translations, this video is fascinating! I appreciate that you offered us some insight into a notoriously difficult language. I love the fact that a lot of foreign languages challenge you to restructure the way you speak and think and you made it very clear that Japanese does that a lot.

  • @Ole_Rasmussen
    @Ole_Rasmussen 4 роки тому +171

    I've been struggling with what to use "anata" "kimi" "omae" etc. and Ryotaro just solved all my problems and made me a millionaire with "just say the name."

    • @AkiAmeko
      @AkiAmeko 4 роки тому +35

      Short answer is, in polite conversation with strangers, don't ever use pronouns. Names only.

    • @IanCunningham92
      @IanCunningham92 4 роки тому +11

      @@AkiAmeko If they're a stranger, how would you know their name?

    • @SnipinG1337
      @SnipinG1337 4 роки тому +10

      @@IanCunningham92 you get their attention by apologizing and asking if you may ask them something

    • @AkiAmeko
      @AkiAmeko 4 роки тому

      @@IanCunningham92 In a brief conversation I assume you can communicate without pronouns entirely because you can drop that from Japanese sentences entirely and both parties know the context most of the time. When introducing yourself to someone for the first time, like a business meeting or a new friend at the bar, it's customary to ask their name asap. (Although anyone who knows Japanese better than I is free to correct me.)

    • @daredakonoyarou
      @daredakonoyarou 4 роки тому +1

      I may not be correct, but what I heard was:
      Omae = comes of as rude, maybe if you want to be threatening or start a fight.
      Anata = A close person? Or just the most common? I heard that using it too much can sound robotic, however.

  • @masonhales
    @masonhales 4 роки тому +169

    When he said "stomach filled up" he meant his stomach had magically filled up and he was longer hungry -aka- he refused to go into the restaurant because of the change in smoking policy.

    • @kevinscales
      @kevinscales 4 роки тому +21

      Good catch "What a shame it become non-smoking. Somehow I'm no longer hungry!"

  • @ArchaeologyMonster
    @ArchaeologyMonster 4 роки тому +433

    I've always kind of translated "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu" as like "I leave myself in your capable hands." I think it makes sense in most cases, like when you ask someone to pick up the dry cleaning and end it with "yoroshiku ne" like "I'll entrust it to you" kind of thing. That definitely is a hard phrase to explain to people!

    • @jacobpeters5458
      @jacobpeters5458 4 роки тому +14

      judging by your username, "Archaeologize", I fully believe you are Japanese and shall myself in your hands' translation entrust in capable, Ramen

    • @ArchaeologyMonster
      @ArchaeologyMonster 4 роки тому +68

      @@jacobpeters5458 My name refers to my profession as an archivist and archaeologist, and I speak, read, and write Japanese as I lived there for over ten years. Is there a reason you need to feel so bristly and make snide comments, or does that just make you feel better, dear?

    • @jacobpeters5458
      @jacobpeters5458 4 роки тому +4

      @@ArchaeologyMonster you sound gay

    • @sericsson1996
      @sericsson1996 4 роки тому +81

      @@jacobpeters5458 You sound like a douche.

    • @ArchaeologyMonster
      @ArchaeologyMonster 4 роки тому +57

      @@jacobpeters5458 Ouch, ooo, my feelings! What an insult! XD

  • @17th_Colossus
    @17th_Colossus 3 роки тому +25

    Someone needs make a 10 hour loop of Ryotaro smiling and waving. Only then can we achieve world peace!

  • @Alynos235
    @Alynos235 4 роки тому +222

    That moment when Chris actually is openning his imaginary store instead of closing it @1:14

  • @pantsmanx
    @pantsmanx 4 роки тому +392

    "I think I'll close my imaginary restaurant"... *uses clip of someone opening their restaurant*. OK buddy

  • @bwcbiz
    @bwcbiz 3 роки тому +6

    Ryotaro's drawer analogy is great. I have the exact same problem when I try to speak German, I frequently say stuff in Spanish or mangled English instead.

  • @leyow9
    @leyow9 4 роки тому +313

    Natsuki rating a Restaurant:
    (5-star rating) "Justice Delicious"

    • @valeriansage
      @valeriansage 4 роки тому +8

      underrated comment ^

    • @Anthraxb0mb
      @Anthraxb0mb 4 роки тому +2

      I always felt like he was trying to say “just is delicious.” If I remember, he was asked to describe the food in one word, and “delicious” seemed to me like the word he was working towards. 🤷🏻‍♂️

    • @sathwikmalyala886
      @sathwikmalyala886 4 роки тому +1

      Google translate: *dies* translating it into Japanese

  • @Blowingmind
    @Blowingmind 4 роки тому +191

    We do have a verb for trying to makes oneself look cool, it's called flexing

    • @rosewaterlily2886
      @rosewaterlily2886 4 роки тому +9

      I was also thinking of peacocking or poser. Cringey or extra could also work. There's more you could use depending on what type was actually implied 🤔 I think he's been in Japan for so long he's now out of the loop of things 😂

    • @ThePandafriend
      @ThePandafriend 4 роки тому +16

      Isn't "flexing" colloquial for "showing off"?

    • @yashvangala
      @yashvangala 4 роки тому +13

      @@ThePandafriend "showing off" is essentially "trying to make oneself look cool" but using less words

    • @A_Lion_In_The_Sun
      @A_Lion_In_The_Sun 4 роки тому +7

      Primping, preening, posing, boasting

    • @1003JustinLaw
      @1003JustinLaw 4 роки тому +4

      Or just tryhard

  • @JohnPorsbjerg
    @JohnPorsbjerg 4 роки тому +140

    "A friend who is not Ryotaro" Chris we get it, you have two friends, no need to be チャラ付く

    • @SidheKnight
      @SidheKnight 4 роки тому +10

      So.. Natsuki then.

    • @gazenaitogirufan
      @gazenaitogirufan 4 роки тому +3

      You mean, sticky clerk?

    • @uchuuseijin
      @uchuuseijin 4 роки тому +1

      if you want to use "to be" in English, the adjective form of チャラつく is チャラい charai

    • @JohnPorsbjerg
      @JohnPorsbjerg 4 роки тому

      R Lee Oh cool, thanks! I’m only just starting to learn the adjective forms so all i know so far are the -い and -くない forms

    • @icanwatchthevideos
      @icanwatchthevideos 4 роки тому

      @@JohnPorsbjerg チャラい is the adjective but チャラ付き would be the noun I believe

  • @SuperArashi90
    @SuperArashi90 4 роки тому +367

    I'm going to just say "stomach empty" from now on. I like this.
    Knees weak.
    Arms heavy.
    Mom's spaghetti.
    I'm speaking Japanese already!

    • @azufendusgarendum6583
      @azufendusgarendum6583 4 роки тому +7

      You used a pronoun though 😏

    • @angelinprasad5295
      @angelinprasad5295 4 роки тому +9

      Slim shady was trying to teach Japanese all this time.

    • @Anvarynn
      @Anvarynn 4 роки тому +2

      Actually laughed out loud thank you

    • @chetansingh3219
      @chetansingh3219 4 роки тому +1

      I just came from Eminem singing anime intros dude

    • @Anvarynn
      @Anvarynn 4 роки тому

      @@chetansingh3219 You wot, link?

  • @captainmarvel4015
    @captainmarvel4015 4 роки тому +160

    Can confirm, very glad.
    Source: am comrade.

    • @goldsnow2802
      @goldsnow2802 4 роки тому

      Yes comrade! I salute you! I as well..am comrade.

    • @timberfedor5
      @timberfedor5 4 роки тому

      is you glad?

  • @oriongear2499
    @oriongear2499 4 роки тому +315

    “Translating between Japanese and English can go horribly wrong.”
    But sometimes when it does go wrong it can provide some funny results. 😂

    • @RyoHazuki224
      @RyoHazuki224 4 роки тому +4

      the long-term existence of engrish.com is a testament to that!

  • @ArtEnjoyer1922
    @ArtEnjoyer1922 3 роки тому +1

    Our comrades are totally glad to see your videos.

  • @jakobhahn8043
    @jakobhahn8043 4 роки тому +476

    “A lot of metaphors” The metaphors:
    Stomach full
    Stomach empty

    • @HanyuuHOLO
      @HanyuuHOLO 4 роки тому +27

      Wait until you learn the word 気... THEY USE IT FOR EVERYTHING I HATE IT!

    • @nakulsharma5266
      @nakulsharma5266 4 роки тому +6

      @@HanyuuHOLO 気になった。

    • @aditichawla8606
      @aditichawla8606 4 роки тому

      @@HanyuuHOLO what does that word mean?

    • @forestofsecrets7273
      @forestofsecrets7273 4 роки тому +7

      @@aditichawla8606 energy/spirit/vigor/atmosphere

    • @forestofsecrets7273
      @forestofsecrets7273 4 роки тому

      @@aditichawla8606 energy/spirit/vigor/atmosphere

  • @haventshoweredinamonth7364
    @haventshoweredinamonth7364 4 роки тому +71

    " -Ryotaro- Risottoro has an obsession with drawers. "
    I'm sure everyone can relate

  • @Gyatso98
    @Gyatso98 4 роки тому +24

    Even though COVID-19 is going on and Chris is basically stuck in his house, he still manages to create great content that gives me a smile. Keep up the good work!

  • @harrokremer7430
    @harrokremer7430 2 роки тому

    Bedankt

  • @_PM__
    @_PM__ 4 роки тому +89

    As a guy who thought it was a good idea to try to learn Japanese at the age of 60 in the not so Asian cultural epicenter of the US, Terre Haute, Indiana (we do have a sushi restaurant and one of our grocery stores sells Pocky), I've found, for simple Japanese sentences, structure isn't too difficult. It's not that much different than talking like Yoda. Particles, however, are evil. My contribution to the language is the new particle of, "um". It's used immediately after every word while you try to decide what the correct particle is. It can, also, be used before the word ええと to fill in that awkward silence that happens before you realize there is a Japanese equivalent to the word "um".

    • @MrHarumakiSensei
      @MrHarumakiSensei 4 роки тому +5

      Don't worry, as you get better you can start leaving out the particles. Just like the Japanese do!

    • @notintere5ted
      @notintere5ted 4 роки тому +1

      Do you speak any other languages? Do you have a talent for languages? I'm thinking of learning but at 46 and only able to speak one language, I'm thinking it may be too late

    • @MrHarumakiSensei
      @MrHarumakiSensei 4 роки тому +6

      @@notintere5ted Oh heck no. Not too late. It is true that it takes longer, so what would take you two years at 18 takes maybe four years to learn in your forties.
      To get perfect pronunciation in a language, you need to start before 12, but that's about the only part you can't do later in life.
      Also, studying another language in your sixties and seventies is good for keeping Alzheimer's at bay!

    • @_PM__
      @_PM__ 4 роки тому +15

      @@notintere5ted Hi there. What makes me smile about your post is that you are wondering if, at 46, it might be too late to start learning a language. While reading that I'm thinking, "Imagine how much I would now know if I had started at 46". After about the age of 30, we seem to start thinking we're too old to start something new. Then you hit 40 and think, "Wow, I can't believe I though 30 was too old to learn something new. It's really 40 that's too old". It goes on and on like that. "If only I were 10 years younger". In my 40s I decided to try my hand a computer graphics and design. Of course, I thought I was too old, but it seemed like it might be a fun hobby. I ended up getting pretty good at it and have since sold some of my work, including a couple of magazine covers. Turns out I wasn't too old to learn a new skill.
      To answer your question, no, I don't speak any other languages. At times, I question my ability at my own mother tongue. Still, Japanese is something I had wanted to try to learn, for years. One day I just decided to start, and have been working at it since.
      I say give it a try if it is something you want to do. I would recommend trying Duolingo for a couple of weeks. It's free and can give you a taste of the language. See what you can learn in that period of time. Just give it a try. You can always stop if you decide you really are too old :) If you enjoy the time you spent, there are tons of free Japanese language resources online, including UA-cam. If you really get into it, there are paid courses you can take online, I use Japanesepod101.
      There's so many great milestones you have when you're learning. I'm still not very good at all but just a few weeks ago, I actually understood an entire line of a Japanese song, I was listening to. For one short line of a song, I felt fluent in the language.
      頑張ってね

    • @notintere5ted
      @notintere5ted 4 роки тому +4

      @@_PM__ Thank you for your wise words, whats to lose eh? As you suggested I will try some bite size Japanese to get a taster. All the best!!

  • @sachiiii
    @sachiiii 4 роки тому +154

    Chris: what's your thought process when you're translating between English and Japanese?
    Ryotaro: there is no thought process

    • @MrMickeei
      @MrMickeei 4 роки тому +43

      If you are fluent in two languages you don't translate between them, meaning is converted to the desired language.

    • @mementomori7160
      @mementomori7160 4 роки тому +5

      ​@@MrMickeei As a non native English speaker, I totally agree(but I'm still not fluent enough)

    • @KylerJones
      @KylerJones 4 роки тому +10

      Honestly that drawer metaphor is surprisingly good. Like as a native English speaker I don't have to construct a sentence in my head, I can just say it. But whenever I've (unsuccessfully) tried to learn a new language, I've got the sentence in English, then I have to construct it in the other language before saying it. Whereas if you're fluent in both languages you can see a sentence, break down the meaning of it abstractly into your head, (sort of like how when you have an idea but don't know how to say it, you've just got this abstract concept of what it means), then say that idea in the other language.

    • @pableitor2009
      @pableitor2009 4 роки тому +4

      I mean, that's usually the key to be fluent in different languages. When you start studing a new language you usually first think the phrase in your main language, then try to translate it to the new one. But once you get used to the new language you just think on the new language directly. Most of the times this change goes gradually over the time. In japanese it seems that you cant go gradually improving, but you have to be that comfortable in japanese to start thinking only in japanese directly

    • @ProtagonistOfficial
      @ProtagonistOfficial 4 роки тому +6

      @@MrMickeei Saying that there is no thought process is a little disingenous. As you can see when asked to translate a phrase like "yoroshiku onegaishimasu", Ryotaro was definitely forced to think about how to express the term in English. I generally agree with the statement, but there can definitely be thinking involved when it comes to deciding how best to convey an idea in a language that doesn't have a built in way to convey the idea.

  • @PrettyTranslatorSarahMoon
    @PrettyTranslatorSarahMoon 4 роки тому +273

    This is why my silly, illegitimate Japanese entertainment translating job will be safe from our robot overlords for a while yet. 😎

    • @rastynicc
      @rastynicc 4 роки тому +7

      Machine translation can work, but it requires a whole lot of fucking around with each sentence Google spits out in order to get it right.
      Sites like Jisho help a ton, and so does running the original text through 6 or 7 different machine translations, and interpreting all of those into something readable.

    • @TwilightWolf032
      @TwilightWolf032 4 роки тому +2

      Japanese translators unite!
      Can I ask you what you work for, exactly? I'm a freelancer translator, but ever since the pandemic started I haven't had a single request for translation.

    • @Shanaoh
      @Shanaoh 4 роки тому +2

      @@TwilightWolf032 I wanna be a translator myself. I'm half Japanese and I've studied both languages since I was very small. Can you tell me how you started your career? Also do you have another Job?

    • @Gregarman
      @Gregarman 4 роки тому

      Nani?!

    • @TwilightWolf032
      @TwilightWolf032 4 роки тому +8

      @@Shanaoh I started my career thanks to a friend of mine, who saw an ad from Abracadabra Games looking for part-timer translators. I sent an e-mail, they sent a reply en mass to all applicants saying they would make a selection and return only to the chosen ones. About a month and half passed and I hadn't received anything, so I sent them another e-mail asking if there was any chance for me or if they could point me towards other companies. They must have liked my assertiveness, because they decided to send me a test, which I passed, and then I spent the following 12 months working on various games in both English and Portuguese. (By the way, don't play Love Gossip, the main character is the worst and the writing is terrible! Love in the Skies is great, though!)
      Now, Abracadabra had an... internal turmoil... and the person who was carrying the company on their backs left due to health issues, and many games that were ready to be published had to be postponed. It's possible all my translated works have been delayed or cancelled, including Love in the Skies, which was the first title I translated for them, and all routes by myself... you can imagine I'm not happy with that, because that's most of my portfolio. I've taken other jobs, including a request for terms and guidebooks that were supposed to be used in 2020 Tokyo's Olympic Games (that was another headache I'd rather forget about), but recently requests have been down thanks to China's virus.
      If you want to start your translation career, go after companies yourself and offer your services. Keep an eye out for announcements and work on fan translations of anything you come across to start a portfolio you can show off.
      As for my side job, I do work as a digital artist on Pixiv. Just search for Ryuugamine Ryuuto on MangaDex for my stories (warning: what isn't a doujinshi is lewd stuff) and 竜ヶ峰竜人 on Pixiv for my illustrations (warning: there's porn). I gain a bit of change here and there for commissions and a very small number of subscribers on SubscribeStar, so translation is still my main gig. My plan is to get enough subscribers to make a living out of my art and stories, but that's going to take years at this pace. In the meantime, I keep working on translations.

  • @crashvolt
    @crashvolt 4 роки тому

    I've watched only two videos and this is already my favourite channel

  • @ethan5719
    @ethan5719 4 роки тому +105

    Just hearing the name "Ryotaro" makes me laugh as I always think of Rissotoro

    • @juneseongmin
      @juneseongmin 4 роки тому +2

      😂

    • @genericgamefan6621
      @genericgamefan6621 4 роки тому +2

      I just think of Ryotaro Dojima, forget which game he’s from, think about the Dojima Family from Yakuza, then realize he’s from Persona 4. I have a horrible memory. 😅

    • @rp-lopez
      @rp-lopez 4 роки тому +2

      Just curious, I've seen him used both Ryotaro and Rissotoro - what's the difference? I know there has to be a joke behind the 2 versions I just can't figure it out even though I've watched so many of his videos

    • @ethan5719
      @ethan5719 4 роки тому +1

      @@rp-lopez his name is Ryoataro, but there was a joke in one video where a comment referred to him as Risottoro, as in the dish Risotto. So that became a joke

    • @rp-lopez
      @rp-lopez 4 роки тому +1

      @@Wepeell thank you!

  • @satomiarihara6887
    @satomiarihara6887 4 роки тому +46

    And vise versa.
    For us Japanese people, one of the hardest parts of learning English is that we have to add the subject in any sentence.

    • @DjokovicIsOurLordAndSaviour
      @DjokovicIsOurLordAndSaviour 4 роки тому +7

      Yeah, that must be super weird when not used to it.

    • @shizuokaBLUES
      @shizuokaBLUES 4 роки тому +11

      Well to be fair , not in any sentence.
      For example , and you probably know this, these are all perfectly fine depending on the situation;
      Wanna drink ?
      How bout a pizza?
      Can’t think of anything now but maybe later.
      Etc etc
      In my 25 years of working in Japan, I’d agree with you and say that including subjects is very difficult for Japanese learning English.
      Other things would be subject-verb agreement, the horrid English spelling “system”, and mastering some of the many many idioms used in daily conversation.
      My other experience is that many of my non-English majors , especially males, cannot see gaijin as equal to Japanese, at least not until they have lived outside of Japan. It’s become part of my acceptance of Japanese culture that a good many people around me, even my students, regard me as a less-than-equal human. しょうがない

    • @r3zaful
      @r3zaful 4 роки тому +1

      It's called sentence pattern
      If you're a multi lingual person you will understand.

    • @zzBaBzz
      @zzBaBzz 4 роки тому +4

      vice* And it shouldn't be hard at all. English teaching in japan just plain sucks. The amount of shit I've had to correct that "hurdurr native" people taught students is insane

    • @shizuokaBLUES
      @shizuokaBLUES 4 роки тому

      Clarence alteria who are you addressing here ? And are you referring to syntax?

  • @shiny9690
    @shiny9690 4 роки тому +668

    "I fear no man..."
    "But...that thing..."
    *puppy ramen*
    "...it scares me."

    • @masterbitter7688
      @masterbitter7688 4 роки тому +3

      @Tartarus china have a dog eating festival

    • @ReptilianTeaDrinker
      @ReptilianTeaDrinker 4 роки тому +6

      At least it's not bat ramen. lol

    • @SHRIIMPSUCKS
      @SHRIIMPSUCKS 4 роки тому

      taste good actually I recommend you try it

    • @lzh4950
      @lzh4950 4 роки тому +3

      @@masterbitter7688 My countrywomen was like: _Hindus don't tell us not to eat beef so how can we tell China not to eat dogs?_

    • @masterbitter7688
      @masterbitter7688 4 роки тому +1

      @@lzh4950 i tell you dog meat really tastes good as other meat, the only difference is texture more like a skinny pig. the only problem is dog are really adorable and they wiggle they're tail when they see you and they're very happy. it feels cannibalism

  • @JustSomeDamnGinger
    @JustSomeDamnGinger 2 роки тому +2

    That drawers metaphor from Ryotaro was probably the best explanation I've heard for translating languages in your head.

  • @millsaj
    @millsaj 4 роки тому +207

    Japan: "Why waste time say lot word when few word do trick"

    • @faffywhosmilesatdeath5953
      @faffywhosmilesatdeath5953 4 роки тому +2

      Kevin was a gem

    • @agentzap
      @agentzap 4 роки тому +8

      this but unironically

    • @cassif19
      @cassif19 4 роки тому +16

      Japanese works very differently. I'd say you actually have more words in a Japanese sentence than in an English one, but many of the are completely untranslatable. They are meant to show what the subject and them object of the sentence are.
      So if you would say: "dogs like bones", it would be :"Inu wa hone ga suki desu"
      "Wa" says that "Inu/dog" is the subject
      "Ga" means that "hone/bones" is the object
      These words often make other words redundant.
      If you say "like apples" it makes no sense, but if you say in Japanese "apples GA like" it means that the apples are liked by someone, probably the speaker.

    • @millsaj
      @millsaj 4 роки тому +6

      @@cassif19 bro... It's a joke from the office...

    • @electronresonator8882
      @electronresonator8882 4 роки тому +2

      to be honest kanji is like a huge compilation of symbols, just like emojis in your phone

  • @Thomas-dd8xs
    @Thomas-dd8xs 4 роки тому +87

    "The staff tried to look cool"
    Now I imagine waiters doing Jojo poses while serving.

    • @theramendutchman
      @theramendutchman 4 роки тому +19

      I'm 100% certain they didn't do that. They'd have 5 stars otherwise.

    • @onionjack4533
      @onionjack4533 4 роки тому +1

      Hum, that's not the Jojo comment I was looking for, but still, in my mind it seems perfectly normal that at least one comment about Jojo exists in every video on youtube hahahaha

  • @psinjo
    @psinjo 4 роки тому +10

    As someone who is attempting to wrap my head around intro level japanese, I found this incredibly informative, and honestly if the situation arises, i would love to hear more intricacies about the language. Thanks a lot for putting in the time :)

  • @sadied0g
    @sadied0g 2 роки тому +4

    Ryotaro’s description of two drawers hits home when I instinctively fill in a Spanish word when trying to speak Japanese but there’s one word I can’t remember how to say

  • @--Paws--
    @--Paws-- 4 роки тому +93

    Principal Skinner: "Pathetic"
    Ryotaro: "Amateur"

  • @chiragmotwani8419
    @chiragmotwani8419 4 роки тому +263

    I'm not first,
    I'm not last,
    But when Chris uploads,
    I click very fast

  • @SupaKoopaTroopa64
    @SupaKoopaTroopa64 4 роки тому +200

    If anyone is wondering where the "puppy ramen" came from in the translation, I think I can explain. Google translate doesn't have an algorithm for translating between all possible combinations on languages, since that would require the developers to write around 10,000 different translators (not to mention how some are rarely used, such as Basque to Telugu). What happens instead, is each language is translated into a "universal language" and then to the final language. This way, only two translation algorithms are needed per a language. Now, this universal language isn't one spoken by humans, but a language automatically generated by an AI to represent common sentences from every language equally well. Things like the name of a restaurant aren't commonly used in speech, so when a review is translated into the universal language, the restaurant's name might be poorly represented. When the universal language is converted to Japanese, any ambiguous meanings will basically be interpreted as "fill in the blank with something that might be represented similarly in the universal language," and chances are, the universal language is much better at describing things to do with puppies than it is at describing the name of a restaurant.

    • @chocjamie
      @chocjamie 4 роки тому +10

      Interesting! Maybe because puppies like bones? But so do skeletons...

    • @adrianamendesporcellato
      @adrianamendesporcellato 4 роки тому +2

      Very interesting! But I don't really understand what you mean by "universal language"...what would it be? It's like a code language (which would probably be based on English)?

    • @laurencefraser
      @laurencefraser 4 роки тому +28

      @@adrianamendesporcellato basically the translation algorithm has its own 'native' language in translates into and out of, rather than translating between every combination of other languages. It Attempts to optimize this "native" language to be the best possible language for translating into and out of, rather than for actually communicating with.
      So calling it a universal language is sort of true, but also kind of misleading. If a language were an electronic device, this "universal language" would be closer to a USB connection than an electronic device suited for every task. (Admittedly, my analogy is kind of terrible there).
      That's my understanding at least, knowing, as I do, a bit about language and very little indeed about Google's algorithms beyond that they basically exist to let Google avoid taking the blame for it's stuff ups.

    • @SupaKoopaTroopa64
      @SupaKoopaTroopa64 4 роки тому +10

      @@adrianamendesporcellato It's kinda hard to describe exactly what it is (I don't know all the technical details). It wouldn't be anything that humans can read, and would likely just look like some random numbers and letters, without individual words. The language is created and updated automatically by an algorithm. This is done by comparing text translated by hand to the same text translated by Google Translate, and making small changes to the language until more accurate translations start to come out of the program.

    • @adrianamendesporcellato
      @adrianamendesporcellato 4 роки тому +8

      @@SupaKoopaTroopa64 and ​ @Laurence Fraser Thank you very much for your explanations. I was puzzled by the use of "universal language", but now I understand it's not really a "language". I actually worked for a translation company to help "train" an algorithm so that it would get more and more precise (one of the most boring jobs ever), but I never actually understood how it worked. Now I think I have a better (however superficial) grasp of it. Thank you again for taking the time to explain that ;) It's quite amazing!!! Nevertheless, being a language lover (and a language teacher) and truly believing that learning languages helps us make sense of the world around us in so many ways, I can't help but fear the day people will prefer relying on automatic translators to going through the challenging (but amazing) experience of learning a new language...

  • @-Seppuku-
    @-Seppuku- 4 роки тому +1

    This was super fun to watch. Especially your reactions in between

  • @inocha_
    @inocha_ 4 роки тому +144

    I am sad that foreigners who are interested in Japan cannot come to Japan because of COVID-19. I'm sad I can't go abroad. Please tell us the recommended spots overseas so that you can go when COVID-19 is gone. (I'm sorry if I made a mistake because I use a translator 🥺)

    • @danielvlk140
      @danielvlk140 4 роки тому +7

      Hello, as someone from Czech Republic (central Europe), I would recommend cities like Olomouc, Český Krumlov or Prague and castles like Lednice, Červená Lhota or Hluboká nad Vltavou. Also, from other countries, I find very beautiful Salzburg with near Alp mountains and mountain lakes (Austria), Jena (germany) and if you like hiking than Tatra mountains(Slovakia). I do not want to overwhlem you with other places, for example from Italia or Greece. Hope this is going to be of some use for you :) (Also sorry for mistakes, english is not my native language :) ).

    • @wovenwar8528
      @wovenwar8528 4 роки тому +7

      心配しないで。英語は上手です。when things are better, Seattle and Portland are beautiful in the summer. The Grand Canyon is beautiful in spring. California is always beautiful and Florida is good in the winter. 気をつけて!

    • @hannahcrossett3415
      @hannahcrossett3415 4 роки тому +6

      US National Parks are nice, depending what you want to see. The Smoky Mountains are beautiful with occassional fog. The West has not only the Grand Canyon but also has many other cool parks. Other parks include the following: naturally-made arches at Arches National Park, odd natural phenomenon on thermal hot springs land at Yellowstone National Park, an ancient Native American village at a park called Mesa Verde, and Bryce Canyon (a really beautiful place, too). Also, there is a place around there where the corners of four different states come together so you can stand on 4 states at once. Meanwhile, the US National Quilt Museum is in tiny Paducah, KY, which is also a great place to shop for antiques. If you wanted to visit there, it is 2 hours drive from St. Louis and may have air-travel nearby with assistance from Uber which could add this to a visit to St. Louis, MO, which has tons of free stuff to do (including one of the nation's best zoos and art museums) as well as the famous Gateway Arch and the largest collection of mosaics under one room anywhere in the world.

    • @Queen-qy4qc
      @Queen-qy4qc 4 роки тому +2

      Russia St.Petersburg and Moscow are beautiful cities with lots of history, meusems, traditional food and tours!

    • @cheshirecat9037
      @cheshirecat9037 4 роки тому +3

      In East Europe you can visit Romania or Republic of Moldova. Not a big place but it's fairly priced and we have lots of pretty sights(Castles like Peleş and Bran in Romania, so many natural parks and reservations in bith countries!) and interesting traditions if you happen to come during a national holiday or festival!

  • @lh7128
    @lh7128 4 роки тому +156

    YOUR COMRADES IS GLAD
    - Stalin, date unknown

    • @Spyduck
      @Spyduck 4 роки тому

      OUR, COMRADES

    • @amonrei
      @amonrei 4 роки тому +1

      Maybe it should've been Vlad instead haha...

    • @Komediantka
      @Komediantka 4 роки тому

      @@amonrei
      It would be much funnier with "Vlad(-imir)"

  • @darkeegan
    @darkeegan 4 роки тому +39

    "I think I'll close my restaurant" *shows clip of someone opening their restaurant*

    • @goodman854
      @goodman854 4 роки тому +1

      I was thinking the same thing LMAFO

  • @nytheris2848
    @nytheris2848 4 роки тому +8

    12:47 That made me realise that I might be better at Japanese than I think. The literal translation is nonsensical but I was fully able to understand the Japanese instantly. I'm nowhere fluent, but it's a nice feeling.

  • @nyarlathotep.mythos
    @nyarlathotep.mythos 4 роки тому +118

    Something to look out for on Google Translate:
    ✔️ Community Verified!

    • @Jessie_S
      @Jessie_S 4 роки тому +3

      Sometimes that could end up being wrong so I wouldn't totally rely on that.

    • @Jessie_S
      @Jessie_S 4 роки тому +2

      @@danield.1438 There is actually human involvement in the community verification process. People can either validate translations or translate phrases as a way to contribute in making Google translate better. I'm sure, however, that their would be some who contribute inaccurate contributions.

    • @nyarlathotep.mythos
      @nyarlathotep.mythos 4 роки тому

      A Japanese friend is ideal, but “community verified” is right more often than a regular translation

    • @Desilurobinson
      @Desilurobinson 4 роки тому

      Something to look out for on Google Translate:
      ❌ Later…

  • @theboris2137
    @theboris2137 4 роки тому +88

    I feel like Chris should print these reviews onto shirts and fill his closet with them

    • @pronotgaming722
      @pronotgaming722 4 роки тому +1

      @@MatthiasBlume yeah ...drawers

    • @giantred
      @giantred 4 роки тому

      ​@@MatthiasBlume I know your meaning, but as people I know refer to undergarments as drawers the image your comment conjured was decidedly amusing for me.

    • @SpaceWizardCosplay
      @SpaceWizardCosplay 4 роки тому

      @@MatthiasBlume Half-opened or half-closed? :D

  • @petergaley314
    @petergaley314 4 роки тому +118

    "I thought we were having steamed clams!"
    "Oh no, I say 'Puppy Ramen'. That's what I call hamburgers."

    • @noobrebuilder8260
      @noobrebuilder8260 4 роки тому +9

      So you call hamburgers puppy ramen?

    • @hatster401
      @hatster401 4 роки тому +8

      @@noobrebuilder8260 Yes! It's a regional dialect.

    • @FAIRYGIRL911
      @FAIRYGIRL911 4 роки тому +3

      Uh huh.....what region?

    • @VoxelLoop
      @VoxelLoop 4 роки тому +3

      @@FAIRYGIRL911 Uhhh, north Tokyo?

    • @kimarous
      @kimarous 4 роки тому +3

      Really? Well I'm from Ome and I've never heard anyone use the term "puppy ramen."

  • @hectorquinones5579
    @hectorquinones5579 2 роки тому +2

    Linguistics with Abroad in Japan, love it!

  • @kyounokaze
    @kyounokaze 4 роки тому +80

    "I got a lot of belly" is more correctly translated as "I am VIP de big"

    • @newschannelx2986
      @newschannelx2986 4 роки тому +1

      Nani?

    • @Aquahawk911
      @Aquahawk911 4 роки тому +5

      @@newschannelx2986 it's from Chris's video on "What it's really like to teach English in Japan". One of his students called him VIP de big.

    • @newschannelx2986
      @newschannelx2986 4 роки тому

      @@Aquahawk911 oh lol thanks

  • @scottshepherd8795
    @scottshepherd8795 4 роки тому +278

    I've recently started listening to Japanese rock bands, and one of my favorites is ヒトリエ, or "hitorie" in English. Since I knew hitorie meant nothing in English, I used google translate to translate the original Japanese, and it came back as... "Hitler."

    • @moon_june_7515
      @moon_june_7515 4 роки тому +54

      If you're still wondering what ヒトリエ means, I did a quick research and found out that it comes from ひとりアトリエ (hitori atorie), which means "one-man atelier".

    • @hnglbanana
      @hnglbanana 4 роки тому +40

      since hitori can also mean alone, you could also make a portmanteau in english and translate it as 'alonelier'

    • @Wubulixi
      @Wubulixi 3 роки тому +7

      Hiteru means Hitler. Seems Google Translate tries to associate with the next closest word

    • @Hwyadylaw
      @Hwyadylaw 3 роки тому +13

      @@Wubulixi
      Hitler in Japanese is *Hitoraa*.
      I think "hiteru" would be "is drying out" or "is dry"

    • @_dorime20yearsagoedited39
      @_dorime20yearsagoedited39 3 роки тому +5

      @@Wubulixi "Hiteru" (ヒテル) would be translated as "Hitel" in English if it was a proper noun _(if it was a native Japanese word, the word "hiteru" (干てる) would be translated as "(to be) drying (out)", but this word is rarely heard in actual daily conversations in Japanese, as people usually use "kawaite(i)ru" (乾いて(い)る) instead of "hite(i)ru" (干て(い)る) in order to say "(to be) drying (out)")._
      Since the Japanese word for "hotel" is "hoteru", "Hiteru" would analogously be "Hitel" in English, which actually is a rubbish (unless it's an actual proper noun).
      So, I suggest you at least open an online dictionary before you "judge" and state how a word would be translated into Japanese, to confirm whether or not what you're going to state is correct. It's okay for language learners to be wrong because we do learn from our faults/mistakes, but it just seems lazy to me if you judge and state something from a language you're still learning without actually rechecking and confirming whether or not you're correct on the topic.

  • @janew7920
    @janew7920 4 роки тому +22

    It’s interesting to see that Chris’ attention to cinematography overrides any desire to keep Ryotaro in bad lighting 🤣 Quality content as always!

  • @nxone9903
    @nxone9903 3 роки тому +1

    Brilliant. I loved it. This is the best video on Japanese and language as a whole I've watched in a while. Useful insights and nice humour plus a great flow

  • @maxwellmyers
    @maxwellmyers 4 роки тому +9

    I'm literally at this point in my study of Japanese. I like to remind myself of the idea from Steven Pinker: We don't think in any language, we think in thought. When I listen to Japanese audio, I'm not attempting to do a 1-to-1 translation anymore, but instead trying to recognize the thought and associate the proper translation with that thought. Great video, thanks for making it!

  • @lordofgraphite
    @lordofgraphite 4 роки тому +38

    really ticked me off that some one would leave a one star review for having an unpleasant encounter in a completely different location ffs

    • @shengbojia3389
      @shengbojia3389 4 роки тому +1

      @@qaulwart lmao, be happy or be fired

  • @gafrers
    @gafrers 4 роки тому +30

    I have questions about Risottoro's Drawers and needing to hear him talk in German, Italian, etc

  • @punkst3r
    @punkst3r 3 роки тому +2

    Very insightful, very educational, a ton of fun to watch.

  • @12Prophet
    @12Prophet 4 роки тому +24

    Google once gave me a "translation" that an "elephant was riding the truck in the ravine on hat" ... It was a translation homework, and I wanted to check my work.. I ended up getting an A on the assignment because I did not rely on Google for help. Bullet dodged.
    And to new learners of the language (from English to Japanese), keep at it. Surprisingly it does get a little easier the more you learn. You start to build on concepts that solidify in your mind. And the stress is part of the fun. It gets so much more interesting when you then try to explain the basic concepts to the people you know who haven't studied it. That's when you realize you've come a long way. The fun part about learning it, is that you personally don't know how much you're improving until you start explaining it to others. What becomes common and comfortable to you, but fascinates others when you talk about it, that never gets boring. So keep at it, it's a wonderful journey!